The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-01-20


hepceforth there is laid up for mo a crown
OF Righteousness, and not only for me, hut
for all those that love His appearing" Per-
haps just as grand deathbed in your own
home. Oh, the measurement of this life
by the worldly standard and the
measurement Of this life by the Christian
standard. It seems to me to-day is the time
for me to begin to do better, aud 1t is time
for you, my brother, my sister, to begin to
do better The swift years have flown.
The old year has gone, the new year has
come, aud for what purpose you and
have been launched on this other
year God only knows And would
like to esk you in this crisis Of time, what
Is your preparation for eternity. You are
not surprised at the man on the North River
steamboat who, when Christian man gave
him tract, was very INDIGNANT and tore it
up and threw it into the river; but one
word Of that tract fell upon his coat
sleeve and he looked at 1t after the rest
of the tract had flown, and it was that
one word, that broad word, that high
word, that deep word, that long word, "eter-
nityN' "Call it back" said diving woman,
''call it backm "Why," they said, "what do
you want to come backl" ooh" she said,
'call it back-time time! call it back!' We
may lose OUR fortunes and may gain them
again. We may lose our health and
have it restored again. We may lose
our SOOl naule anu Dy u ule Oh VIuuo
subsequently may restore our good name;
but time gone is gone forever. Now. some
people say they would like to go back again
to boyhood and live their life over again:
they would do so much better next time l
,Tould not dare to go back to boyhood as
am afraid l would do worse than | have
done. You, my brother, could not afford to &C
back to boyhood: YOU might do worse than
you have done. But we cannot 60 back. The
future iS hafAra nc n o1 I rcpo1.atl11atp
oh, people of God, congratulate you that
another year has gone. What does it meant
1t means nearer home; it means nearer our
Fathers house; it means that you are nearer
the companionshin OF loved ones who have
gone before. Why should you be sad
about that' When l tell you that your
face ought to be illumined with great
joy. Why how strange it is, this fact that
we hang on to this world with so much avid.
fly when there is a much brighter world
ahead, and we ought to lie glad that we have
got nearer it. Why not go to the centre
Why stay clear out here on the rim Of the
universe! Why not glad we are going nearer
to the ccntrel We study God here onlv
by Bible photograph. But you know that
in five minutes of interview you get better
acquainted with friend than YOU could by
fifty years of looking at photograph; and
the little babe that die dlast night, six months
old, this moment knows more of God than
all Andover, all Princeton, all Rochester,
all Middletown and all EdinQurgh,
all the theological institutions OF
earth. But here we want to stay on
the outside, on the rim of this great uni
verse, and when we get little sick we are
frightened, and we are alarmed about this
accident and that accident, lest suddenly we
be hurled into light and glory unutterable;
and we go around asking what is good for
rheumatism, and what is good for bad
= fA. {r.t1 ,,,l hat
and are fearfully alarmed, and when
we get sic; we call in the doctor
in wild haste, lest we be rushed into a
land where they are never sick, but have i'm.
mortal health. And here we hold on to the
circumference, afraid to go to the centre,
while we look through the cracks and the
keyhole of heaven, afraid the door OF the
mansion will be swung wide open and wo
will stand in the glory the infinite. Hang
ing on t. the pauperism of sin and
sorrow of this worli and afraid that some
time suddenly we will have presented to us
an.Emperor's pala7e surrounded by parks
and beautiful paths on which the angels of
God walk two and two. Would it not be
awful if we were suddenly to get crown, a
throne and trilmph' Sorry another year
has gones Glad of it. Nearer the glory that
God has provided for His people. We are like
group of peorls standing on tha cold steps of
the National Picture Gallery, London, under
umbrellas in the rain, and You come along
and say: Why don't you 60 into the pic
whether we can get in" You say: "TLe
door is open" YES" they say. ct is open,
but we have been staying here while and
we have got so attached to these cold stefs
we propose to shy here" Ycu say:
"You ought to go in, it is so grand and b. al
tiful inside" They say: NO, we know lust
how it is out here, and we don't know how
;-i ", fhar ~ hat is anl that is
Clineing on to this life as though it were all :;
forgetful Of the fat that the great picture
gallery, the great throne room, the
great grand ur and glory are all ahead.
In the year 1885. the French thought in
Ghent they would have musical demonstra-
ton such as the world had never seen. and
It was made up Of the chime OF bells and DIS
charge of cannon. 1t was grand and glori-
ous success, nothing ever, perhaps, like IL
heard on earth. 1t was a triumphal march
that has become matter OF history.
When the cannon were fired and when the
bells of all the churches and all the towers
rang the effect was overwhelming But
grander will be the q ;compai iement of Gods S
children when they so out of tais world at
the blast of the Judgment trumpet, and when
God shall call them home the bells OF the
churches aud all the towers and al the
light houses will chime, and the sound Will be
joined by the booming of bursting magazine
and fortress an augmented by all the cathe-
altowers OF Heaven. The harmonious celes-
tial and the harmonious terrestrial united in
one great march fit to celebrate the ascent OF
a soul to where it shall shine as the stars for
ever and forever. With such considerations
we may look back W on the flying years with
out single regret and with eiuitatlon lor-
ward to the time when the archangel, with
one foot on the sea and the other on the land
shall swear by Him that livoth forever and
ever that time shall be no longer.